The University of Idaho Argonaut

Three individuals were honored Wednesday for their dedication to improving and promoting gender equity throughout the University of Idaho campus and community.

Women’s Center Program Coordinator Lysa Salsbury said the three individuals who received this year’s Virginia Wolf Distinguished Service Award have shown a “long-term commitment to the cause of advancing equity in both their professional and personal lives.” She said their dedication to bettering our community represents the goals and devotion of the center.

“(The hard work of recipients) truly validates all that we seek to accomplish at the Women’s Center and reinforces the reason we’re here,” she said.

Salsbury said this year’s honorees, Tara Malmquist, Liz Brandt and Amy Stone Ford are the exact representation of the award.
“They have shown long-term commitment to the cause of advancing equity in both their professional and personal life,” she said. “They have demonstrated extensive advocacy for women or other marginalized groups in a variety of ways.”

Malmquist received the award in the student category. She currently interns for the ASUI Center for Volunteerism and Social Action. Brandt, dean of the College of Law, was the faculty/staff recipient. The community member recognized, Amy Stone Ford, is a past president of the Moscow League of Women Voters.

The three recipients beat out a variety of other hard workers. Moscow High School junior Clay Mosman was one of them. Mosman was nominated by fellow classmate Diane Norton because of the constant respect he shows others.

“He’s a guy who appreciates women and knows how to treat them,” she said. “He does a lot of things to recognize equality and I thought it should be recognized.”

Although he didn’t walk away with a plaque, Mosman said just his nomination shows how far our society has come.
“Gender justice is typically associated with females, so it was a big step for me to even be nominated,” he said. “I was definitely honored (to even be considered.)”

The awards were created in 2002 when Women’s Center Director Jeannie Harvey was approached by former UI ITS staff member Kay Keskinen, who was also involved in the center. Keskinen wanted to recognize the activism efforts of former student Emily Sly who was the co-founder of the student group FLAME. Ironically, Sly had also approached Harvey to honor Keskinen’s similar work, resulting in the creation of the award.

“They decided to name it after Virginia (Ginny) Wolf, a professor of physical education from 1964-1982,” Salsbuy said. “The award is given annually to individuals who reflect the same level of commitment that Ginny gave more than 30 years ago.”
Salsbury said Wolf is the perfect candidate to represent this honor. She said during her stint at the UI, Wolf was dedicated to achieving gender equality.

“(Wolf) had taken a key role in addressing issues affecting women on campus, including chairing the UI Women’s Caucus and helping launch the campaign that brought about the establishment of a permanent UI Women’s Center,” she said.

Salsbury said the selection process of the winners began a month ago when the center called for nominations. Nominators varied from regular citizens to professors and students. They provided a 500-word essay detailing the nominees’ achievements and efforts on behalf of women, and the reason why they were deserving of the award. The center appointed a five person selection committee to sort through the submissions and select the beneficiaries.

Salsbury said the process of recognizing the hard working individuals is enjoyable.

“My favorite part of the process is having the wonderful opportunity to honor the richly-deserving members of our society who work tirelessly and selflessly, often with little or no recognition, on initiatives whose primary goal is to somehow improve the lives of women,” she said. “It is inspiring, humbling and heartening to learn of recipients’ efforts and contributions toward making the world a more just and equitable place.”

This year’s winners were treated to a lunchtime celebration with keynote speaker Dr. Susan Rae Banks-Joseph of Washington State University. They received an engraved plaque accompanied by a book of women’s quotations.